Waking Up in Paris
by YourFavoriteLabPartnerEver
Summary: Ideally, what would happen on Judgement Day if Jenny had survived, but there's a slight hitch on her road to recovery. AU obviously . and some slight sketchy details here and there, but if you can give it a chance, you might just like it!
1. Chapter 1

Waking up in Paris

**AN:This fic kinda happened accidentally, I was falling asleep in the car and I let my mind wander, and I liked the idea so much I had to write it down. But I didn't have my papers, so I wrote it as a text in my phone. AU, and a little sketchy on details from time to time, with some changes here and there. Bear with me, and I think you might like it!!!**

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own the song Waking up in Vegas by Katy Perry, or NCIS. These are just things that I like to borrow.**

She was shot, lying on the floor when Tony and Ziva blazed into the diner, guns raised.

"Tony!" Ziva screamed, running to the right side of the room.

There lay Director Sheppard, in a small pool of blood by her right arm and hip. Tony bolted across the room and knelt down by her side, checking her pulse.

"Zi, its faint, but its there, call an ambulance. And get Gibbs out here.

He began to perform CPR, thinking to himself, _Come on Jenny, you have to hold on. Gibbs will kill me if you don't. Or you will… Does this count as breaking Rule 12__?_

Her eyes fluttered open, as if on cue, causing him to snap upright.

"Director! You've gotta stay with me." He said as Ziva ran in.

"There is an ambulance on the way. You need to stay awake. You're strong, do it for yourself, the agency… do it for Gibbs." Ziva said, attempting to remain calm, but a conscious Jenny or even a focused Dinozzo could see the cracks in her demeanor.

She sounded in agreement. It was just so hard to keep her eyes open. They felt like they were weighed down with bricks. She had to stay awake. Think of Jethro. His piercing blue eyes, His silver gray hair…

* * *

She awoke in the ambulance, her mind secretly hoping to see those piercing blues staring into her deep emerald eyes, but they were met with those of an EMT, a shallow brown color.

"Miss Sheppard! I need you to stay awake!" He said, putting pressure on her arm, which would not stop bleeding apparently.

Turning her head she saw Ziva, who looked somewhat shaken despite her training, leaning he head on Tony's shoulder, who was visibly upset.

Becoming aware of her consciousness first, Ziva spoke, her words shaken, but somewhat strong and forceful.

"Jenny, you can do this, you are stronger than this-"

"-And you need to fight it off.", Tony chimed in. "You can't leave the kids without mommy, daddy will kill us."

She tried to laugh, but coughed instead. It didn't matter. Tony and Ziva saw the smile in her eyes as they flicked shut.

She thought back to Paris as she lost perception.  
She spent some time drifting in and out of consciousness, her thoughts on Marseille, Serbia, Positanio, and Paris and what happy times they were, and how happy they were, together.  
And this made her mind subconsciously set. She would wake up; she was determined to see him.  
But what she didn't know was that it wasn't Paris, and it wasn't 1999.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**AN: Chapters may vary in length (and seem somewhat short, but I do what I can), and fluff will be added as I see fit. I mean really, she almost died! Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: Let's recap- NCIS? Not mine. Waking Up In Vegas? Also not mine. What do I have? A computer, a phone, and some spare time. Let's continue. **

At the hospital in Los Angeles, Tony and Ziva waited, worrying. She had called Gibbs and the ambulance, and Jenny was in fact, as everyone had been pleading, hanging on. She was rushed into surgery in an attempt to stabilize her, and safely remove the bullets.

It had been four hours already, and she was still in surgery.

Ziva tried to relax, and much to both of their surprise, leaned on Tony's shoulder. Her mind was racing, it didn't really matter anymore. She sighed.

_How could this happen? Well obviously I know how it could happen, I have seen it, and done it hundreds of times. It's just never been Jenny. She always was the strong one. Back in Cairo, she was seemingly invincible. I can not believe it. But I must._ She thought, trying to put her mind at ease.

"It's alright Zi, if Abby's ever taught me anything; it's that Gibbs won't let anything happen to Jenny. Tony said, trying to make himself believe his own words._ "_He's always looking out for her, and-"

He was cut short by the ring of the phone, bringing her out of her near sleep state.

"David."

_Ziva, its Gibbs. What hospital are you at?_

"Gibbs? You're here? LA Memorial. It's on Windsor and Caltera Drive."

_I'll be there in ten._

And the line went dead.

"Who was it sweet cheeks?" Tony said, attempting to either cheer her up or rile her up with her nickname stemming from their undercover assignment as a married couple.

"It was Gibbs." Ziva said in all seriousness. Now was not the time to joke around in her mind. "He flew out when he got the news. He's on his way here now. Jenny better pull through this or Gibbs will…-"

"Let's not go there Ziva. She'll pull through. She's tough." He said, cutting her off.

"Yes, much like Gibbs, stubborn as a tool." She said, causing him to just laugh and shake his head. Her brow furrowed.

"It is not stubborn as a tool, is it?" Ziva asked, obviously frustrated with her latest idiom faux pas.

He stood up, motioning for her to come along.

"Stubborn as a mule. And yes, they are." Tony said, glad her mind was off the topic for a while.

"Where are we even going?" She asked. They had been walking down the corridor of the hospital silently, not needing to say anything; one another's presence was enough.

"Bossman will need a cup of coffee… Well, that swill he calls coffee." Tony winced and froze. "He's behind me, isn't he?"

"No Tony, not this time." She chuckled, and he put his arm around her shoulder as they walked down the hallway. They had each others back; seemingly in a normal situation, just as partners, but to a trained eye, they stood closer, and seemed to be comfortable with each other.

It appeared to be too easy for them to comfort one another. It was just the worst circumstances for the occurrence.

For Jenny and Gibbs, it had been Europe that had done the trip. More importantly, Paris.

___________________________--*--___________________________

Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs sped down the highways of LA, his mind racing.

He hadn't been able to sleep on the flight, not that he had wanted to. The single glass of bourbon had done the trick, calming him down without leaving him too intoxicated to drive to the hospital. Weaving in and out of the lanes of traffic, he thought about why he was here.

Well, he obviously knew why he was here; Jenny had almost been killed and was in surgery right now. What he needed to ask himself was why was **he** here. He knew the answer. He just didn't want to admit it.

He still loved her. He had been foolish, not being upfront with her upon her return as Director, and now she was hospitalized with the possibility of never coming back. He didn't know what he'd do if he didn't have the chance to tell her.

So onward he drove, with so many traffic violations it would require a full months pay to take care of. But none of this mattered to him.

All that mattered was her.

___________________________--*--___________________________

Back at the hospital, Tony and Ziva finally found Gibbs some decent coffee. Or, rather, some coffee that suited his taste. It had been in what appeared to be employees only café area, but a few flashes of their badges and there was coffee to be had.

He ordered Gibbs' usual Large Black Coffee, Jamaican blend, his own medium double-double and Ziva's French Vanilla Hazlenut blend.

_I might as well be prepared. _He thought.

Walking back to the waiting room they were hand in hand, standing unusually close. If they were asked what was going on, nothing was different. They were supporting their partner at a difficult time. It wasn't a yellow light situation at all because Rule 12 wasn't being broken, and nothing was inappropriate.

"Dinozzo, David! Rule 12, ever heard of it?"

Or so they thought.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for the delay, I'm pretty sure my computer got the piglet flu with thee way its been acting, so I'm finally posting now. I'll be trying to post quicker than before to try and make up for it, but the show must go on!**

**Disclaimer:**** If NCIS was mine (which it isn't) Vance wouldn't exist (but he does) Jenny wouldn't be dead (but she is) and we would all know how the boats get out of the basement (and we all have no idea). So let's continue.**

Chapter 3

"Oh, Bossman. I brought you some coffee." Tony stammered, inching slowly away from Ziva. "And it's my fault, you see I-"

"-Enough apologies Dinozzo, sign of weakness." Gibbs cut him off saying. "What've you heard from the doctor?"

"Well, she went into surgery close to four hours ago, she was shot in the arm and took one round to the hip. She lost a lot of blood, but hey stabilized her. We haven't heard from the doctor in three hours." He said, in hopes that he covered everything.

"Three hours? You two went off gallivanting on a coffee break, doing GOD knows what with Rule twelve, when they could've had news or needed information about her?! What if-"

"-Gibbs, relax, calm down. They said it could be a while before she's out of surgery. So sit down, calm down, and try and get some sleep. I know you would not on the flight over." Ziva said, astounding herself and Tony for interrupting Gibbs. "And there is always Rule 3, never be unreachable. We left both of our numbers with the nurses in case they learned anything r needed to contact us. I took the liberty of giving them your number too."

Surprised at the chain of events, and not knowing what to say, Gibbs nodded, and sat down, taking his coffee and trying to relax.

_Come on Jen, you have to hold on._ He thought. _You need to hold on._ And the words kept rolling through his mind like waves on the shore, as he started to calm down, they calmed too. But some waves would not just take it easy. _It can't be this easy._ He thought knowingly, in hopes that he was wrong.

**Okay, so that was super short, but I liked the spot it was at. Basically just to hold everyone (or rather anyone who still cares) over a bit 'til I can really rework this stuff into good lit. Criticism and critique= writing love. Hahaha. Review if you feel like it. =]**


	4. Chapter 4

**The actual chapter you've all been waiting for! (Well actually, it's not my job to know what you've been waiting for, though I hope it's this. I'm just the dumb sap who writes the stories.) Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer:**** The show (not mine), and the song Waking Up In Vegas (not mine) are (you guessed it) not mine! **

Chapter 4

On the opposite side of the waiting room, Ziva was on the phone with Acting Director Vance (much to Gibbs' extreme dislike), and was explaining the earlier events of the day. After all, someone had to explain to The Secretary of the Navy why the Director of a federal agency was in an L.A. hospital with two unexplained gunshot wounds that were received while she had no security detail. The person to do so sure as hell wouldn't be Gibbs.

Tony was on the far side of the room on the phone with a hysteric Abby, trying (and failing miserably) at calming her down. She had wanted to fly out to L.A. with Gibbs, but he wouldn't let her leave the lab. She had a job to do, he said, and being in L.A. wouldn't get it done.

This left Gibbs to mull over what had happened, what he had been told, and why he was in a Los Angeles hospital waiting room waiting for his boss to wake up from a coma. Most people would just send the Director a get well soon card. What did Gibbs send? Himself.

_You'd have done the same if it was Morrow in this situation. It doesn't matter what happened in your past with Jenny, or if there was an "off the job" or not. You care, so you're here._ He straightened out mentally.

He had just gotten off the phone with Franks who explained everything when this train of thought left the station.

She had almost died to protect him, and from what Mike said, still loved him, though she never directly said it.

The idea of him loving her after the way things had ended came as somewhat of a shock.

But what had shocked him even more was that she was hurt before the bullets assisted this feat. Mike had also told him that she had a tumor in her hip, (ironically a few inches away from where she had been shot), and it had slowly been deteriorating her. She said that if she had to go, it might as well be by a bullet in place of someone she loved. Beat the cancer to the chase. She had always thought that a bullet would be her demise.

But Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs was not one for thinking like that in any situation, but especially with her, feeling the way he did.

_Jen, pull through, wake up._

As if on cue, a doctor walked into the waiting room, breaking the three from their tasks.

"Family of Jennifer Shepard?" A man asked, seeing the three snap their heads up simultaneously. "I'm Todd Gelfand, head of Neurology here, and a surgeon present on your…" He paused, unsure of their relation to Jenny, and attempted to cover smoothly. "- loved one's case." His cover up would have been smooth if he wasn't talking to Special Agents. Nevertheless, the conversation continued.

"Is there anything that you can tell us at this time?" Gibbs said while walking across the room to speak with the doctor.

"Yes actually. She's in surgery now, the bullets were removed completely and wholly, and there was not much damage to the surrounding areas."

"Then why exactly is she still in surgery?" He asked, slightly confused. Tony and Ziva wrapped up their phone calls and joined him by the doors to the trauma wing.

He sighed. "I'm not sure if you are aware, but Ms. Sheppard had a case of ovarian cancer in 1999, and we believe that the metastasized mass we found in her hip is related. We're doing our best to remove the mass, but it may take time. It is our best hope of her making a full recovery."

Shocked, Gibbs, Ziva, and Tony stood silently for a moment, processing what they had heard.

"Thank you Dr. Gelfand." Ziva said, breaking the silence.

"If you'll excuse me, I must return, but I will update you as any developments arise." He said, and moved away from the group, leaving them to their thoughts as Jenny Shepard was worked on in surgery.

**So I'm kind of a terrible person, but things do get better. It won't be this melancholy always, I promise! Unless of course, you like melancholy, then talk to me about getting what I refer to as a "gloomsday" version of this story. (Gloomsday is my way of describing a story that is nearly constantly melancholy and sad, but nonetheless, a decent story.) Anyways, review with whatever you feel needs to be said, it helps the writing process. Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm back! After about a month of not updating with no real excuses, I'm making an effort to get this storing going again. A few quick things and then we're ready to go. I'm aware that Marseille was not as I have depicted it, but it made sense in the storyline as I wrote, so we're going with it. Also, years and time frames are not my forte. Neither are medical time frames, though I can usually fake my way through it… So bear with me, and let's get this show on the road.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Der. **

Chapter 5

Jennifer Shepard's being was laid out on the table of the O.R. as various doctors and nurses rushed around her, making sure she'd survive through the surgery being performed below her. Though her being was down there, her mind floated elsewhere. It was as though her mind was there, but not in 2007.

She was back in Marseille in that damn hotter than hell attic, healing up after a run in with a Paris arms dealing operation. They had thought they had it all under control until three more men had busted through the back wall.

She had been shot in the arm and one grazed her hip as she turned to take them out. As she went down, Gibbs had picked them off one by one, and reached her side when she hit the ground.

_Take it easy Jen. You can hold on. I'm calling an ambulance._

_-It busts our cover._

_-No Jen, you're shot, twice, I'm calling an ambulance._

But this time she had healed more quickly. She spent two hours in surgery, and was out of the hospital three hours later.

This time however, would not be as easy.

She wasn't as young or healthy as last time. Healthy being the key word.

What everyone back at NCIS didn't know was that the ovarian cancer that she thought was taken care of last July had metastasized to her hip, near the gunshot wound. She could only hope that it could be removed while she was in surgery.

If the bullet didn't take her, she was almost sure that this cancer was going to. She regretted not writing the letter she had begun.

Dear Jethro … that's all there was. Little did she know that that's all there would be, and that she'd keep the letter to this very day in 2007.

She tried to think back to a brighter time, a time in the city of lights, and ended up waking up under a bright set of her own lights.

"Ms. Shepard, can you hear me? The bullets came out during surgery, but we came across a metastasized mass in your hip, originating from the ovarian cancer you had received treatment for back in '99 that had recurred last year. We were able to remove a good majority of it, but we couldn't remove it all. We'll be putting you under chemotherapy in hopes that this should take it out. Ms. Shepard?"

All of this talk was too much to take, and she nodded, slipping back into sleep. It was easier there. And she honestly didn't understand what they meant about "Back in '99". This was '99.

She couldn't seem to figure out what they meant.

All she wanted to do was see Jethro.

And maybe Ducky. He'd know what was going on. One of them would, hopefully.

Because I sure as hell don't.


	6. Chapter 6

**Here we go, Chapter 6! Sorry it's been about a month… it's been written, but I'm failing at posting… maybe I'll post a twofer… if you're still reading this, I love you guys!!!**

Chapter 6

Todd Gelfand stood conversing with the other doctors just outside the operating room as she was stabilized by a team of nurses.

Their work was done, and now it was time to see how the recovery played out- not to mention mental stability.

"I'm just saying Chuck, isn't it unbelievable that she kept being able to regain such levels of consciousness throughout the entire affair? Even towards the end of the surgery as the sedatives should have been fully set in? There's just gotta be something holding her here. Probably the same reason she didn't give up in that diner. Took some damage, but from what Lisa told me, she dealt more than she took. None of them ended up here." One doctor said.

_She did seem determined back in Washington, to say the least_, Todd thought. _How strange that after my transfer they manage to yet again, find me. And I know what's keeping her. Gibbs._

"Earth to Todd!" A voice cut through his thoughts. It was Chuck. "We were just saying, didn't you have a case back at Bethesda where the trauma victim had complete amnesia of the past 8 or so years of his life?"

Todd chuckled, having his own private joke.

"Yes, a hard headed marine was in an explosion and couldn't remember what had happened, and he thought he was back in his trauma after an explosion in the gulf. He slowly came to because of his teammate's constant visiting and his old boss's stories. But for a while, I thought he'd be trapped back in time. It took constant reminders from friends and unexpected visitors to take him back to reality. We can hope that if there are any such complications that they can be resolved as easily. But this we won't know until she wakes up."

The group of doctors disbanded and a doctor went to relay the information to the director's "family". He didn't tell them that said hard headed marine was just a short walk away in the waiting room, or that the team that had already previously fought amnesia attacks was right outside too. What happened in the past was the past.

Just not for everyone. The director's past was currently her present. But when the team would find out about her current state, which would be changed. Hopefully.

"She may have what?!" Gibbs demanded from the doctor furiously.

"Amnesia." The doctor apparently called Chuck said. "It may take a while for her to remember all of you, but you need to be patient. She hasn't woken up yet; the anesthetics must have completely set in. I suggest you get some rest, as not to startle her with such downtrodden appearances. Though only family can visit." He said, the last part seemingly aimed at Gibbs, who just gave a glare in response.

"We _are_ family." He scoffed.

"Thank you," Ziva said as the doctor walked away.

"Wait." Gibbs said calmly, surprising everyone. Chuck turned, a slight look of shock on his face.

"Yes?"

"When can we see her?" Gibbs asked a sincere look of worry visible in his eyes. He wasn't hiding anything, or even trying to.

"In an hour or so, when we have her set up in a room of her own, because currently, she's in the OR. This may be the one time we've had more room in the operating room than in the beds. You will be notified." He said politely, walking away.

"I'll call Abby, she asked me to call her when we found anything out." Tony said, though it was clear to any bystander that he did not want to.

"Tony, I got it, I need to talk to Abby myself anyways. Get some rest. You too Ziva." Gibbs said, heading to the opposite corner of the waiting room.

It was going to be a long night.


	7. Chapter 7

**Authors Note: Chapter 7 is here, Chapter 7 is here! (Now that I've gotten that out of the way…) To anyone out there still reading, your thoughts and opinions are appreciated. If there's anything you think I should change in my story (/ stories), don't hesitate to make your opinion known! PM me or (heaven forbid) write a review! I'm always listening. Onward with the story!!!**

**Gibbs may seem a little OOC, but don't you think that even somebody as tough as Gibbs would act differently in this situation? Well I do. So this is how it shall be.**

**Oh, and after this, the bold text is the person on the other end of the phone. **

Chapter 7

"Abby, it's Gibbs."

"**Gibbs! Is she all right? Tony didn't have much he could tell me, and I wanted to talk to you, but he insisted, and I have all the bowling nuns praying and-"**

"Abby. Calm down. Just relax." He said, cutting her off. "She's gone through surgery and they removed the bullets, but they found a metastasized mass of ovarian cancer in her hip."

"**Oh, oh God."**

"They were able to remove the majority of it, but she'll have to receive chemotherapy. They're expecting it to work, because of her stubborn nature, but they can't guarantee anything or make any promises. I think she'll be okay Abs."

"**How can you be so sure?" She said through tears, "You went on your damn Margarita Safari and we thought we lost you. Now mommy's hurt and she won't be gone by her own choice. If she's gone, she's gone for good! When you were gone the kids lost daddy. With mommy hurt, what are we supposed to do now?!"**

"Abby, I know. I screwed up before. But I'm here now. I'm not going to let her go this time, and I'm not leaving either." He finally admitted, both to Abby, and himself.

"**G-good. I'm going to go tell Timmy and Ducky… And Gibbs?"**

"Yeah Abs?"

"**Sit with her, I don't care if you're not supposed to be there, go. Goodbye _El jefe_."**

"Alright Abby."

And with that, he walked over to the nurse's station to go see her when Tony stopped him.

"Gibbs, how's Abby?" He said, with his voice cutting through the silence awkwardly.

"Doing okay. I'm going to go see The Dir-"

"You can call her Jenny around us, you know." Tony interrupted boldly.

"I'm going to go see Jen." He said, nodding, "She sat with me when I was comatose, and I want to be there for her."

"Whatever you gotta do Boss- and if they give you any trouble, SecNav's only a call or two away." Tony said, and Gibbs nodded once again, heading towards the nurse's desk.

"Excuse me Ma'am, I'd like to visit my-" he paused incredibly quickly, deciding just to fall into their old natural cover rhythm "- wife. Jennifer Shepard." To keep up the nervous husband appearance, Gibbs decided to ramble for good measure. "You see, she wanted to keep her last name, being a very strong minded woman, though she's-"

"That's quite alright sir, I have her records right here. She was just moved to room 117A. That's down the hall and to the right. Here's a visitor's pass for you." The Nurse said with a smile that he could have sworn was a little shaky.

"Thank you." Gibbs said. _Well that was a little too easy. Generally I'd have to pull my sidearm out on somebody for them to be that cooperative._ And he headed off to his destination.

* * *

-7 minutes earlier-

"… You too Ziva."

As soon as Gibbs had walked away, Tony and Ziva went to the Nurse's desk and pulled out their badges.

"Very Special Agent Anthony Dinozzo and Mossad Officer Ziva David." Tony said, meriting and elbow jab to the stomach from Ziva.

"What can I help you with?" She said, looking over the rim of her reading glasses.

"My friend over there will probably be asking to visit my sister shortly, and I was hoping you could secure his visit… what'll it cost me?" He said as he pulled out his wallet.

"Mr. Dinozzo, you can't buy me out. Hospital policies are rules, and rules, are rules." She said snidely.

"But rules, like _limbs _are made to be broken, yes?" Ziva said, putting a devilish emphasis on limbs. "I can kill you 18 different ways with that yellow and green paperclip sitting right there on your desk. I do not like to make threats or cause harm if I do not have to- it is too much paperwork." She said, a wicked grin on her face.

"Ziva! What my partner means is that-."

"Say no more! I'm printing a visitor's pass as we speak. Just please, sit down!" The nurse said, reaching her breaking point.

"Thank you." Ziva said, smiling sweetly, as they returned to their seats.

And all Tony could say was:

"Well played, David."


End file.
